From existence to God: a contemporary philosophical argument

Abstract

From Existence to offers a new response to the views of Kant and Hume on the possibility of establishing the existence of God. Miller constructs an argument which, contrary to contemporary convictions, concludes that there is in fact a hidden contradiction in claiming both that the universe exists and that God does not. This contention, which is central to the book, is achieved without the need for appeal to such principles as the principle of sufficient reason, or of intelligibility, or of causation. It does however draw on insights from Frege, Geach and Dummett concerning the logical structure of propositions, and inter alia argues at some length for existence being a real property of individuals rather than a Cambridge one. Miller asserts a causal series which fail to be even causal if it were not closed, and maintains the relevance of logically simple propositions of God-talk. From Existence to therefore advances an argument that is insusceptible to the strictures of Hume, Kant and contemporary critics, and which also reveals how seriously the contingency argument has been misconceived by Leibniz and Clarke. This book should be of interest to advanced students of philosophy and the philosophy of religion.